Ah, the 2021 Diora Pinot Noir from Monterey. Sounds elegant, right? Diora—it just rolls off the tongue like it belongs in a candle commercial or whispered during a spa treatment. . I spotted it for a sweet $4.99 (or was it $5.99? Either way, cheaper than therapy). I thought, “Ooh, Diora—fancy name, Pinot Noir, nice label—what could go wrong?” The answer? Everything. Well, not everything. It was wine. But barely Pinot.
Now listen, I love a good Pinot Noir. It’s supposed to be light, smooth, a little flirty. This one? Nope. This bad boy came in like a linebacker in a tutu—14.5% ABV and absolutely no chill. It was dry (okay, fine), had a tiny flicker of fruit buried somewhere deep down, but mostly it just punched me in the palate like it had something to prove. It’s like the winemaker confused “subtle” with “knock ‘em out.”
I gave it another shot the second night with some glorious fresh albacore fish tacos (mmm tacos) – juicy, spicy, full of flavor – thinking maybe, just maybe, this wine needed a food friend to mellow out. No dice. The tacos were doing their best, but the wine stayed loud, grumpy, and awkward. I expected harmony. I got conflict.
So yeah, not a fan. This Pinot clearly went to the gym, skipped etiquette school, and forgot it was supposed to be subtle. I managed to finish the glass—because, again, I’m not a quitter—but the rest of the bottle is being demoted to the “cooking wine” category. Congratulations, Diora. You’re going into a pot roast. May your boldness do better things for beef than it did for my taste buds.
Final verdict: if you’re in the mood for a Pinot that completely misunderstood the assignment and might also strip paint off a deck, give it a go. Otherwise, let it live out its days in a slow cooker where it belongs.
Types of Grapes: Pinot Noir & ?
ABV % / Fun Juice Level: 13.9%
Origin: Monterey, CA
Grocery Outlet Price: $4.99
